Too Little, Too Late
by alayahchanel
Summary: Rachel and Puck shared a passionate night together when they were eighteen. But the next day, he ran. Five years later, Rachel is living in New York with their daughter. When Puck moves to town to live with his best friends, Finn and Sam, he begins to search for the girl he left behind. Will Rachel be able to forgive Puck for leaving her and let him get to know their daughter?
1. Chapter 1

**Too Little, Too Late**

**I got this idea from a reviewer who enjoys stories with Puck and Rachel having children together. Beth doesn't exist in this story so that means baby-gate never happened. I own nothing except for the character of Hailey. Enjoy!**

**Plot: Rachel and Puck shared a passionate night together when they were eighteen. But the next day, he ran. Now five years later, Rachel is living in New York with their daughter. When Puck moves to town to live with his best friends, Finn and Sam, he begins to search for the girl he left behind. Will Rachel be able to forgive Puck for leaving her and let him get to know their daughter?**

Chapter 1

"Mommy!" Rachel heard a small voice calling as a hand shook her. "Mommy, Auntie Quinn is at the door."

Rachel opened her eyes and looked at the little girl in front of her. Still in her pajamas, the little girl looked anxiously at her mother, wanting her to get up. Rachel decided to have some fun with her instead.

"I think Auntie Quinn will just have to come back another day. Mommy's a little too tired to get up," she smirked, closing her eyes and pretending to go back to sleep. She had to keep herself from laughing when her daughter huffed and started shaking her again.

"Come on, Mommy. I've missed Auntie Quinn," her daughter said as she began to pull on her mother's arm. Rachel laughed and grabbed the little girl, beginning to tickle her. The girls laughed together as they heard another knock at their door.

"Go ahead and open the door," Rachel told her. The little girl ran to the door, afraid that Quinn will be gone. Rachel laughed to herself as she got out of the bed and went to greet her friend, who was hugging the little girl.

"I've really missed you, Hail," the blonde said, lifting Hailey in the air. "Europe just isn't fun without my favorite little girl in the whole world."

Hailey laughed. "So take me with you next time. Then we can have fun together. You know I really want to go with you."

"I think Europe is a pretty big place for someone your height love," Rachel smiled. She loved that her daughter had ambitions to go to such big places at such a young age. She was just like her mother. When she was a little girl, Rachel had always wanted to travel across the world. Now that Hailey was here, that dream would have to be put on hold for a little while.

Quinn rolled her eyes at Rachel's comment and looked back Hailey. "But don't think I forgot about you. Why don't you take this bag into your room and look at the gifts I brought back for you?"

Hailey jumped up and down in excitement. "Thank you, Auntie Quinn. You're the best," the girl hugged Quinn before taking the bag and running into her room. Rachel looked at her best friend and shook her head.

"Thank you, now whatever is in that bag will be everywhere in a few hours."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you know Hailey knows better than to leave a mess everywhere. She got that from her mom."

"Yes she did. So tell me everything. How was it? What'd you do? Did you meet any European guys who wanted to show you around?"

"Calm down nosy," Quinn laughed. "It was really fun, I went on a lot of tours, went shopping, ate at nice restaurants, and yes I did but I made it clear that I have someone that I had to come home to so they backed off."

"I'm sure Finn was very pleased with that," Rachel smirked. Quinn nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah. I wish he could've came with me but he just had to stay here to run the shop. But when I saw him last night, it was like I had never left. It was amazing, it was passionate, it was-"

"Okay, I don't need to know how you and Finn celebrated your impending return," Rachel put her hand up to stop the blonde from talking. "That is way too much information for me to handle."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I found out something when I came back last night."

"If you say anything about Finn's privates-"

"What?" Quinn asked, disgusted. "No not that. Finn told me that he and Sam have a new roommate. He said it's an old friend but he refused to tell me who."

"That's unusual. He normally tells you everything. But wait a minute, I thought you two were making plans to move in together?"

"Yeah we were but we decided that we were moving a little fast. I mean, we've been having this on-off relationship and I need to make sure that we're ready to make a commitment like this. I would prefer to wait until we've been dating for at least a year without having any problems or any threats of us breaking up again."

"Quinn these things can't be planned. I mean, you didn't want to sleep with him until you've been dating for a year but you see how that ended up."

Quinn shook her head. "You try seeing that man after he just got out of the shower. Words can't describe how tempting it is to do something with him. I'm surprised I made it as long as I did."

"Okay, once again I do not need to hear about you and Finn's sex life," Rachel emphasized before walking to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. Before Quinn could respond, Hailey ran in the room, holding up a doll.

"Mommy look what Auntie Quinn got me," she told her. Rachel looked at it and nodded.

"Looks like Auntie Quinn knew exactly what you would like," she smiled before picking Hailey up and putting her on her lap. "Angel, I promise you we will be going to Europe one day."

"When? Like for Christmas?" Hailey asked.

Rachel looked into the hazel eyes of her daughter and felt her heart clench. Those were the same eyes that made her heart beat faster than a normal heart should years ago. When life wasn't so complicated for her. She loved her daughter more than anything in the world but she wishes she could go back to that night and figure out what went wrong. Until then, she would just have to focus on the little girl in front of her.

"Maybe not Christmas but one day. I promise," she declared, smoothing out Hailey's long brown hair. "Go get dressed while I make us some breakfast."

"Okay Mommy." Hailey ran to her room to pick out her clothes while Rachel sighed to herself and started cooking.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asked. She could tell by the way Rachel looked at Hailey that she was thinking about something.

"I just wish I could give her more than this. She deserves so much more than what I can give her. It's just not fair."

"Rach, you give her enough. She knows you love her and you only want the best for her. But maybe if you told her father-"

"No. Absolutely not. I don't want him anywhere near Hailey. I'm doing perfectly fine on my own, I don't need him."

"But Rachel, you can't keep him from her forever."

"Watch me. Besides, he's out living his life just like he wanted. And that life has no room for Hailey or me so it's best if we just forget about him. Now I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention him when Hailey comes back. I really don't need her asking any questions."

Quinn sighed and nodded, not wanting to argue with her friend. She knows the stress that Rachel has gone through in the past years and she didn't want to make it any more difficult on her. She didn't know all of the details of what happened her and the young man. She could just remember that day that Rachel called her in tears.

_Flashback_

_Quinn was getting ready to go on a date with Finn when her cell phone rang. She realized the ringtone was Rachel's and quickly answered._

"_Hey, I've been waiting to hear from you. I didn't get a chance to talk to you after the party a few weeks ago but I guess you wanted to keep me in suspense," she laughed. But Rachel didn't respond. Instead, all she heard was Rachel crying. "Rachel? What's wrong? Are you okay?"_

"_I made a mistake," Rachel choked out. "A huge, unfixable mistake."  
Quinn was confused. Although she had just recently became close friends with the brunette, she doesn't remember ever hearing her so distraught. "What did you do?"_

_Rachel sniffed and tried to calm herself down so she could explain things to Quinn. "I had sex at the party. Then later, my period was late. I took a test and-"_

"_Oh my gosh. What did it say?"_

"_I'm pregnant," she said before sobbing again. Quinn was speechless. She couldn't believe that perfect Rachel Berry is really pregnant._

"_Who's the father?" she asked, afraid to find out the answer. She prayed that Rachel wouldn't say that she didn't know because that would become a huge problem in itself._

"_Noah. Noah's the father."_

"_You had sex with Puck? Oh Rachel." Of all people to have sex with, Rachel just had to do it with the biggest manwhore of them all. "Have you told him?"_

"_No point in telling him. He disappeared the next day before I woke up. I feel so horrible and worthless. Like I didn't mean anything to him. Obviously, this baby won't mean anything to him so there's no point in telling him."_

"_Are you going to, you know?" Quinn didn't want to say the actual word. "Get rid of it?"_

"_No. I think…I think I want to keep it. I'll just figure out how I'm going to do this. Can you just please come over? I really need a friend right now."_

_Quinn knew this was a scary thing to deal with. The date with Finn would just have to wait a day. "Yeah, I'll be right there."_

Ever since that day, Quinn has been there for Rachel and helped her with everything. Telling her dads, going to doctor appointments, everything. It was as if this was her baby instead of Puck's. More than anything, Quinn wants to know why he would leave. What was so important that he just walked out on Rachel with no explanation? She just needed to find him.

**And there is chapter one. We'll see what Puck is up to in the next chapter. Tell me what you think. Bye for now :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm glad to see so many positive responses to the first chapter. This chapter, we'll see what Puck has been up to and find out why he left Rachel that morning. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Puck sighed as he pulled up front of the apartment. He was not looking forward to moving his crap again but he was grateful that his best friend was letting him move into his apartment. When he got there, his friends, Finn and Sam, ran out to greet him.

"Hey man!" Finn greeted, excitedly. "This is going to be so awesome!"

"Yeah, thanks for letting me stay here. I'll be out of here as soon as possible though. Can't stay living around you guys forever."

"Well I don't think I can keep this hidden from Quinn. I mean, she comes around here a lot."

"Just tell her your place is being fumigated or something and that you need to crash at her place," Puck said, thinking it was the perfect lie. Quinn hates bugs so there's no chance of her ever coming here.

"And what's going to happen when a month passes and it's still not fumigated?" Sam smirked. Puck cursed under his breath, quickly trying to think of a new lie.

Finn shook his head at his friend. He knew Quinn told him that she and Puck had a falling out after they graduated but he never knew what it was about. All he knew was that Quinn refused to speak about him or invite him to anything they had.

"Look, she's just going to have to deal with the fact that I'm staying here." Puck shrugged. "I didn't do anything to deserve her shit so you're going to have to grow some balls and stand up to your woman."

"I have a better idea. How about you just work things out with her so it won't be like world war three whenever she comes by?" Finn suggested, wanting the feud to end.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll make nice with Fabray. As long as she doesn't convince you to kick me out, we won't have a problem."

Honestly, Puck couldn't see why Quinn had a problem with him. Sure they weren't the closest friends in high school and he may have had a bad influence on Finn back then but they grew up and should move passed it. It's time to put their differences aside since it looks like her and Finn aren't ending again anytime soon.

Puck just wanted a new beginning. He'd been in Ohio, trying to figure out what it was that he wanted to do with his life. He couldn't figure out what he was good at so he just continued his pool cleaning business. He still enjoyed the occasional cougar sex when it was offered but he felt like something was missing. He felt like there could be more out there for him and wanted to take a chance and go for it.

He decided to call Finn and ask if he could help him find a place to stay. When Finn offered to let him stay with him and Sam and told him that all he would need to do is contribute towards rent, he couldn't say no. So here he is, in New York of all places. He remembered all of Rachel's crazy rants about how she would be on Broadway and become a big star and he couldn't help but wonder if she was there too.

"Thanks," Finn smiled. "Now let's get you moved in."

The three of them went upstairs to the apartment and brought Puck's things into his room. As they started unpacking, Finn's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered. "Oh hey Quinn. Yeah that sounds great, only can we do it at your place? I don't want you guys here with the new roommate moving his stuff in. Seven? Okay, I'll see you then. Love you too. Bye." When he hung up, Puck smirked. "What?"

"What happened to me working things out with her?" Puck asked.

"I figured that I could at least warn her about you being here instead of blindsiding her. Hopefully, she won't kill me, or worse: withhold sex from me."

Sam laughed. "Considering how she couldn't even stick to her own rule about not having sex with you until you guys have been dating for a year, I doubt she'll stick to that."

Puck laughed as well. "She was going to wait a year for you guys to have sex? How'd you get around that?"

"Made her a nice dinner with everything she loves, then I told her I wanted to take a shower so I could be fresh to cuddle to with her. When I walked out in nothing but a towel, she caved. Best sex we've ever had," Finn smirked. Puck laughed and high fived him.

"Looks like I've taught you well, man. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks. Anyway, Sam and I have been invited out to dinner with Quinn and Rachel."

"Wait Rachel?" Puck asked, shocked. Finn cursed to himself. He remembered Quinn saying that she didn't want Puck to know about Rachel living there. She didn't specify why, she just said that Rachel would rather not have anyone from glee club besides them and Sam knowing where she was. It always bothered him that Quinn never gave him direct answers but he never wanted to question her, due to how quickly her mood changes.

Finn sighed in defeat. "Yeah, Rachel lives in New York. She lives across town."

Puck was shocked. He hasn't seen or heard from Rachel since that morning after the graduation party the glee club decided to throw. There had been some drinking going on and he and Rachel definitely had a few cups. But no matter how drunk he was, he couldn't forget that night. How good it felt to be so close to her. Puck never wanted to admit it in high school but he was always jealous at how hung up Rachel was on Finn. He wanted her to feel that way about him but nothing he did ever worked. He was always just the rebound guy. When he found himself about to have sex with her, he knew he had to make sure it was the real deal for both of them.

_Flashback_

_Somehow, Puck and Rachel made it to the bedroom with their lips remaining attached. They could hear the party going on downstairs but neither of them were interested. When they got to an available bedroom, Puck quickly shut the door behind and backed Rachel onto the bed. When he pulled away from her, he stared down at her swollen lips. As much as he hated to do this, he had to make sure that he wasn't about to take advantage of her._

"_Rach, I got to ask. Are you sure about this?" he asked. She looked up at him confused. "I mean, I don't want to take advantage of you or anything."_

_She shook her head. "Noah, I'm not drunk enough to let you do that. I want you to be my first. I was stupid to think Finn would be it since he's so hung up on Quinn but then I realized that you've wanted me for a while. Now you have me. I want you, Noah."_

_Puck couldn't argue with that. Without any further hesitation, he kissed her passionately and forgot about the world. He just wanted to revel in the fact that he finally got the girl and nothing could take that away from him._

_When he woke up the next day, Puck looked over at her and remembered what happened the night before. At first he was happy but then he thought about what Rachel might think when she woke up. She might realize that this was a mistake and get angry at him for allowing her to go through with it. Puck knew he wouldn't be able to handle it if she regretted what happened between them so he decided it was best to leave and wait for her to contact him. If she did, then they could finally be together. If not, he knew he'd be hurt. This was the first time in his life that this wasn't just another hookup for him. It was real. He just wanted her to go after him for once instead of the other way around._

Now that he's older, Puck realizes his mistake. He shouldn't have left that morning because Rachel never contacted him after that. Maybe she thinks that night was a mistake too and that's why she never wanted to talk to him again. But here he is, finding out that she lives nearby. The girl he thought he'd never see again isn't too far from him.

"Why didn't you ever tell me she lived nearby?" Puck asked Finn, angrily. "You've told me about everyone from glee club but her."

"Quinn told me not to. Something about Rachel not wanting anyone to know where she lived. Don't ask why because she never told me. You know Quinn doesn't give direct answers."

"Still, you could've went behind her back and told me. We're supposed to be friends."

Sam cut in. "Hey calm down. Why does it matter, anyway? Since when do you care about Rachel?"

"We were still kind of friends when we graduated. I figured we'd keep in touch but I didn't think you would hide this from me."

"Look dude I'm sorry about not telling you but it was Quinn's orders." Finn tried to explain. "If she found out I told you, she'd kill me, along with Rachel. And you know those two together is not a very fun combination."

"You need to grow some damn balls and stop letting Quinn tell you what to do all the time."

Sam shook his head. "Okay both of you relax. Bottom line is, he knows she's here now. So what? It's not a big deal. Let's just bring him to the dinner with us."

"I think that'll be perfect." Puck smirked. Finn hung his head in defeat, knowing Quinn was going to kill him for this. But all Puck could think about was getting to Rachel. It was about to be a long awaited reunion for them.

**I'm sorry if it seems short. I wanted to leave it at a cliffhanger and save the reunion of Puck and Rachel for the next chapter. But I shouldn't be having as much trouble with writing now that I know where I want to go with both this story and **_**A Forever Kind of Love**_** so I may be updating again this week. I will do so if I get more reviews on both stories so please review. Bye for now :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, so many new reviews. Thank you everyone and as promised, here's a new chapter. I will be updating **_**A Forever Kind of Love **_**momentarily. I'll be going away for the weekend but I promise to get that updated as soon as I get back. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Later on that day, Quinn and Rachel were cooking dinner at Quinn's house while Hailey was still playing with the doll that Quinn got her in the living room.

"So do you think that they'll bring the new roommate with them to dinner?" Rachel asked while cutting up vegetables.

Quinn shook her head. "Probably not. I mean, he just moved in so I would assume he would rather be at the apartment unpacking."

Rachel nodded in understanding as she continued cutting. At least she'd be able to see Finn and Sam. They loved Hailey and Hailey adored them. At first, the boys were shocked when they found out about Rachel's pregnancy but they agreed to support her. She and Quinn refused to tell them exactly why she didn't want anyone to know where she was living but when they kept asking about Hailey's father, she had to tell them something. In the end, she decided to tell them that she left the party early to go to another friend's party and that's when she had sex.

It took a lot of convincing to get the guys off her back about telling the father. But she knew that she could never do that and if they found out it was Puck, they would kill him. Once they finally stopped asking questions, they quickly became Uncle Finn and Uncle Sam to Hailey and were good male figures for her life.

"Uncle Finn and Uncle Sam are here!" she heard Hailey yell. "Auntie Quinn, can I open the door?"

"Sure Hail, go ahead." Quinn walked to the doorway to watch as Hailey opened the door and ran to the boys. When she looked closer, she saw Puck getting out of the backseat. _Why was he here in New York? More importantly, why was he here at her house?_ When she snapped out of her thoughts, she realized that Hailey was being picked up and tossed in the air by Finn with Puck looking curiously. This is not good.

When they walked inside, Finn gave Quinn a kiss as he carried Hailey in. "So what's for dinner?"

"Um chicken stir fry for us and vegetable stir fry for Rachel." She looked at Puck. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm paying my old friends a visit," Puck smirked. "Don't tell me you haven't missed me Quinny."

Quinn glared at him. "Don't ever call me that again and you," she looked at Finn before pulling him to the side. "Why the hell did you bring him here?"

"It's a funny story actually," Finn chuckled nervously. "Remember I told you our new roommate is moving in today? Well meet our new roommate."

Before Quinn could respond, they heard Rachel call from the kitchen. "Okay everyone, dinner should be ready in a few minutes!"

Quinn turned back to Finn. "I hope you have fun sleeping at your apartment with Sam and Puck tonight. I'll be in my own bed, relaxing and watching movies."

As she walked away, Finn cursed to himself. Maybe keeping Puck a secret wasn't such a good idea. But he knew that no matter how badly Quinn reacted, Rachel was going to be much worse when she found out.

Meanwhile, Puck stood in the doorway to the kitchen, where Rachel was putting the food into a bowl to set on the table. He smiled at how she still looked the same from the last time he saw her. "Hey Rach."

Hearing that voice, she froze. _No_, she thought, _it can't be_. She turned around and felt her heart race. The Mohawk was gone and what was standing in front of her didn't look like the trouble maker from high school she once knew. He was a man now. But he was still the man who left her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice tight.

Puck shrugged nonchalantly. "Just moved in with Finn and Sam. I decided to tag along for dinner, I hope you don't mind."

Before Rachel could respond, Hailey ran in. "Mommy, can I help you?"

Puck's head snapped towards Rachel in shock. He was wondering who the kid was and why she ran to Finn. But now, looking between her and Rachel and hearing what the little girl just said, he finally understood. Rachel was a mother now. He felt anger and disappointment inside of him but kept quiet to keep it from coming out.

Rachel looked between Puck and Hailey, nervously. "Um sure angel." She picked up a stack of plastic cups. "Think you can carry these cups to the table?"

Hailey nodded eagerly and took them, leaving the room. When Rachel looked at Puck, she could tell he was staring at Hailey. She decided to continue the conversation and get out quickly before he could ask any questions. "To answer your question, I don't mind you being here at all. The more the merrier."

As she walked out, Puck couldn't stop the questions going through his head. Did she have a boyfriend here? Did she elope with someone right out of high school? He wish he could think that she adopted a kid but the girl looks too much like her. What has been going on with her since they graduated?

XXXXXXXXX

Dinner was quiet. Everyone just sat at the table, quietly eating their dinner. Puck couldn't stop looking at Hailey, not being able to believe that Rachel really had a kid with someone. Rachel ate her food, praying that Puck wouldn't realize that Hailey was his and Finn just kept his head down because he could feel Quinn glaring at him. Sam was looking around at everyone, wondering why there was so much hostility and Hailey was just playing around with her vegetables.

Finally, Puck has had enough of the silence. He needed answers and he was going to get them. He looked at everyone. "So what has everyone been up to? I mean, I haven't seen you guys in years."

"For a good reason," Quinn mumbled. Puck looked at her.

"What's your problem with me, Fabray? I haven't been here long enough to do anything and I don't remember ever doing anything to you."

Finn sighed in frustration. "Can we not do this right now? There's a child in the room."

"That's what I was getting to," Puck replied. "Who's the kid?"

"None of your business," Quinn answered. While she wanted Puck to know about Hailey, this wasn't the way to do it. Until Rachel could figure out what she wanted to do, she knew he had to keep Hailey's paternity a secret.

"Can you guys please stop?" Rachel asked, frustrated. She looked at Quinn and motioned towards Hailey, who was staring at them curiously. Quinn sighed and nodded, deciding to stay quiet for Hailey's sake. Rachel turned to Hailey. "Honey, why haven't you eaten your vegetables?"

"Vegetables are yucky," she frowned.

"Hails you like to dance, right?" Sam asked. Hailey nodded. "Well dancers have to be healthy and if they don't eat vegetables, they won't be as strong."

"So I should eat them?"

Sam nodded. "It would be a good idea."

Hailey thought about it and when everyone thought she wasn't going to do it, she picked up the fork and began eating her vegetables. Rachel smiled and mouthed a thank you to Sam while Puck just stared in shock. _Was Sam the girl's father? Did he and Rachel have a thing going on after graduation?_

XXXXXXXX

After dinner, Hailey sat in the living room playing with her dolls while everyone else sat on the porch outside.

"So Puck, what _have_ you been doing since graduation?" Sam asked.

Puck shrugged. "I've just been continuing the old pool cleaning business. Had to make money somehow. My mom was starting to charge me for rent so I had to keep working."

"So does that mean you kept screwing the cougars who lived there?"

Puck looked at Rachel before responding, wondering how she would react when he answered. She looked at him curiously and waited for an answer. He nodded. "Yeah, of course. Had to pass the time by somehow."

Rachel shook her head. He really hadn't changed. She was more convinced now than ever that keeping Hailey a secret was the right thing to do. Puck obviously wasn't ready to be a father and there was no way that she was going to put Hailey through that disappointment at such a young age.

Puck looked at Rachel. "So you have a daughter now."

"Yeah, Hailey." Rachel nodded. "She's my world."

"How old is she?" he asked. Rachel froze. If she told him Hailey's age, he might be able to figure out the time around which she was conceived. But she can't lie about her age because then Finn and Sam will be asking questions about why she was lying. In the end, she decided it would be easier to tell the truth.

"She's five."

"Five?" Puck thought about this. He was never the best at math but he could tell that meant that she had to have had Hailey right after they graduated. Maybe Sam was the father.

Quinn could see that Puck was thinking about this and knew that she needed to get them off the topic of Hailey. "So Puck, how long are you going to be living with Finn and Sam? I mean, you three living together is bound to get crazy eventually."

"Just until I get a job and can afford my own place. Don't worry, you can continue your little sleepovers. Just make sure that you lock the door when you two are fucking in the shower. Wouldn't want to walk in on any of that."

Quinn rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Is it possible to give you the money to go find your own place?"

Puck shrugged and smirked. "Maybe. But I think I'd rather hang around my boys for a while. Even if it means I have to deal with you."

Finn cut in. "Okay, enough guys."

Before Quinn could argue, Hailey came outside holding her stomach. "Mommy, my tummy hurts."

Rachel took her into her arms. "How? You didn't eat anything but the stir fry and you're always fine after I make it."

Sam sheepishly lifted his hand. "Actually, I might have snuck her some cake before coming out here. I didn't realize her stomach would react in the bad way. I'm sorry, Rach."

"It's okay, Sam. All we need to do is give her some medicine and she'll be up and running by tomorrow. But I think we should go now so she can rest."

"Are you going to be okay?" Finn asked. Rachel nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll see you guys later. Say goodbye, Hail."

"Bye Auntie Quinn, bye Uncle Sam, bye Uncle Finn." When she got to Puck she paused, unsure what to call him. "Bye person I don't know."

As she started walking away, everyone but Puck laughed. Hailey was known for being blunt and honest, just like her mother. Rachel was the first to stop laughing and finally speak. "I guess we should've gotten around to introducing you to her."

"Yeah, probably." Puck couldn't help but crack a smile at the girl. "I can't wait to see you guys more."

Rachel couldn't help but get butterflies from the way he looked at her. It reminded her of how he looked at her at the party that fateful night. She knew she had to ignore it or else the secret of Hailey's paternity would come out.

"Yeah, bye guys." Rachel gave a small wave before walking out. After they heard Rachel get in her car and drive away, Puck smirked to himself. He knew he affected Rachel but because of the morning after the party, she wants nothing to do with him. But he did notice one thing: Hailey called Sam her uncle, which means he's not her father. But if he's not her father, who is? It was going to be Puck's mission to figure it out.

He looked at Finn and Sam and gave a smug look. "Now was that so bad?"

**And there you have it. Puck and Rachel finally saw each other again. Looks like he has some work to do to win Rachel over, though. To clear up any confusion you may have about why Finn, Sam and Puck can't tell that Hailey is Puck's, she looks like a mini version of Rachel. Besides her eyes, any other part of her that looks like Puck isn't too noticeable. Puck was mostly looking at her as a whole so he never zoomed in on that one part of her. Also, because of how Finn and Sam aren't the quickest to catch onto things, they never paid much attention to Hailey's eyes either. Hope this clears things up. Keep the reviews coming. Bye for now :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait. Because I procrastinated on a 15 page paper for my English class, I've been in a race against time to hurry up and get it done. Because you all have been so patient, there will be more interaction between Puck and Hailey in this chapter and Puck will have a revelation. Again, sorry for the long wait. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

It's been a week since Rachel and Puck finally saw each other and since then, Rachel has been trying her best to forget that he now lives close by. She was grateful that Hailey didn't stick around them for too long so that Puck wouldn't notice any similarities between the two. Now she just had to figure out how she was going to keep Hailey away from him.

While she was thinking, she heard a knock on the door and when she opened it, Quinn was standing there. "Hey, come on in."

Quinn and closed the door behind her. "Where's Hailey?"

"Sam came and took her out for a few hours. I decided to stay behind to get some errands done."

"You're not afraid of him bringing her around Puck? I mean, they do live together now. He's bound to be around somewhere."

Rachel shook her head. "He said they were just going to go to the park then to get some food. The good thing about her going with him or Finn is that there's always a guarantee she'll come back fed and ready to take a nap."

Quinn laughed. "Well she tires the boys out with all of her energy. Finn's grateful that she's not a complete girly girl like you so he can feel like he has a nephew or something. I swear, the more time he spends with Hailey, the more he starts thinking about us having kids."

"Have you two talked about it?" Rachel asked her friend.

Quinn shrugged. "A little. We just say that we'd make great parents and move on. But I don't want any kids anytime soon."

"Yeah, not unless you're ready to deal with the never ending, 'Mommy can I have this?' or 'Mommy can I stay up a little longer?' That will get tiring after a while."

"Speaking of that, I've been thinking. When are you going to tell Puck about Hailey?"

"I was thinking never."

"Rachel," Quinn frowned. Rachel sighed and started walking away.

"Look, I've done perfectly fine on my own for five years. I don't need help from some manwhore who left me the morning after I lost my virginity to him. That just screams 'I don't care' so he doesn't need to have anything to do with me or Hailey."

"Rach, I understand your reasoning but that doesn't change the fact that he's Hailey's father. He has a right to know."

Rachel groaned in frustration. "I know but I'm just not ready. I know I should expect him to be upset with me but I'm hoping it's not as bad as I'm expecting."

Quinn just shook her head, not believing Rachel was being this difficult. "You won't know unless you try."

XXXXXXXXX

Sam smiled to himself as he watched Hailey try to catch the ball he threw to her. He loved spending time with her. While she could be girly with Rachel, she was able to be kind of a tomboy with him and Finn. Ever since he became 'Uncle Sam', he couldn't imagine life without the little girl.

"Uncle Sam, can we go feed the ducks?" she asked, breaking his train of thought. He looked at her.

"Yeah sure." He nodded as they started walking. They went to the bridge and bought pellets then began to throw them to the ducks in the pond below them. Soon, they ran out. "Hang on Hail, I'm going to get more. Stay right here."

Hailey nodded and Sam walked away to the dispenser. While he was getting the food, Sam heard someone walk up to him. He turned and saw Puck smirking at him. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Puck shrugged. "I figured I'd take a walk around New York City to see what all the hype was about. Why are you getting bird food?"

"I'm here with Hailey and we're feeding the ducks." Sam answered, motioning to Hailey who was looking down at the ducks. Puck smirked to himself. This could be his chance to get to know Hailey without Rachel hovering. Maybe the kid will let him know who her father is. But first, maybe he could get something out of Sam.

"Hey, isn't her dad around?" he asked his blonde friend. "Why isn't he here, doing this bonding crap?"

"Her dad's not around. Rachel and the guy broke up after their one night stand happened after graduation."

Puck watched as Sam walked back over to little girl. He decided to hang out with the duo a little longer to talk to Hailey. When he walked over to them, Hailey looked up at him.

"Hey, you're the man from Auntie Quinn's house." She pointed.

"Yeah, the name's Puck."

Hailey laughed. "That's a funny name."

"Oh yeah? Hailey's a funny name," he joked. Hailey laughed again while Sam watched with amusement.

"Okay children," Sam smirked at Puck, who rolled his eyes. "Now that the ducks have eaten, I think it's time that we do the same. Hailey what do you want to eat?"

"Pizza," she jumped up, excitedly. Puck smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. It reminded him of how he was when he was a kid.

"Hey, I love pizza." He told her.

"Alright pizza it is then," Sam nodded. "Let's get out of here."

XXXXXXXXX

Thirty minutes later, the three of them were sitting in a pizza parlor, having fun and enjoying each other's company. Puck couldn't get over how much he and Hailey had in common. They both loved pizza, she had a thing for a few video games, and the thought of doing martial arts interested her. She wasn't as girly as her mother and he loved it. Everything was going great until Puck got a really good look at Hailey's eyes. They were hazel, like his. And when he thought about Rachel sleeping with guys, it didn't make sense because she wasn't the type to sleep around. The only person he knows for a fact she slept with was him. Suddenly, it hit him. Maybe _he _was Hailey's father. But he couldn't be. Rachel would've told him. Wouldn't she? She wasn't the type to keep big secrets like this.

Sam's phone rang, bringing Puck out of his thoughts. Sam looked at it and started to get up from the table. "Hold on, I got to take this. I'll be right back."

After he walked away, Puck turned to Hailey. "So Hailey, can I ask you a question?" Hailey nodded. "Have you ever met your dad?"

Hailey shook her head. "I don't have a daddy. My mommy said they broke up before I was born."

That was all he needed. He was most likely Hailey's father and he didn't know what to feel. He felt furious that Rachel kept this from him but he also feels happiness that this amazing kid shares half of his DNA. When he thought of Finn and Sam, Puck wondered if they knew about this. They couldn't have, they would've told him. They were his best friends, they wouldn't do something like that to him.

Hailey tapped him, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Now can I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Shoot."

"Did you know my mommy when she was younger like Uncle Sam, Uncle Finn, and Auntie Quinn?"

"Yeah. In fact, we were all friends. We were a part of glee club, did she tell you about that?"

Hailey nodded. "She said she was one of the best singers and she was always singing with Uncle Finn. And she said that Auntie Quinn had a nice voice even though she was a bit sharp sometimes but that was only because she lacked Mommy's years of training."

Puck laughed. That definitely sounded like something Rachel would say. Figures she would tell that to her daughter. But he wondered. "Did she ever mention me?"

Hailey thought about it and shook her head. "No. She mostly talks about Auntie Quinn, Uncle Finn and Uncle Sam."

Puck nodded as she continued eating her pizza. Of course she didn't talk about him. After walking out on her, he deserved her acting as if he never existed. But that doesn't mean that he deserved not knowing he had a daughter.

When Sam came back, he looked at Hailey. "Well your mom texted, she said to meet her somewhere because she has a special surprise for you."

Hailey smiled. "What is it?"

"Well we got to get out of here to find out." He turned to Puck. "You want to come with us?"

Puck thought about it. He couldn't confront Rachel about him being Hailey's father with Hailey and Sam being around. But it would most likely piss Rachel off and right now, that's all he wanted to do. He looked at Sam and nodded. "Sure I'll come."

XXXXXXXXXX

Rachel stood outside of the building looking around for Sam and Hailey. She decided to surprise Hailey with dance lessons that she's been asking for, for a long time. She felt great that she could finally give her something she really wanted. When she heard footsteps approaching, Rachel turned and saw Sam and Hailey. She smiled until she saw the person behind them. Why was Puck here? With Hailey. This couldn't be good.

"Mommy!" Hailey yelled as she ran to her and jumped into Rachel's arms.

"Hi angel. Did you have fun with Sam?"

"Yes and look, Puck came." She pointed at Puck.

Rachel tried to smile. "I see." She turned back to Hailey. "Well do you remember how you kept asking for dance lessons so you could be as great of a dancer as Mommy?"

Hailey nodded. "Yes."

"Well here is where you will be taking your lessons," she smiled. Hailey squealed and hugged her mom.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Rachel laughed and hugged her daughter back. "You're very welcome my love."

Puck watched the two in awe. They had a great relationship since it's only been the two of them but he wondered if he and Hailey could ever have that type of relationship. The first step would be Hailey finding out that he was her father but that's a lot to take in for a five-year-old.

As they went inside so Hailey could meet her new teacher, Puck decided to have some time to talk to Rachel. He walked over and stood next to her as she watched Hailey interact with her dance teacher.

"You know if I didn't know any better, I would think that you're trying to avoid me." He said, still looking straight ahead.

"I have a five-year-old to take care of, I don't have time to try to hang around you." Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, shouldn't you be looking for a job so you can get out of Finn and Sam's place?"

"Well I'm not in a rush. They love me being there. Even Hailey loves me. I mean, why wouldn't she? I _am _her father."

Rachel froze. Did he just say what she think he said? This can't be happening. He couldn't have figured it out. "What are you talking about?"

"Cut the crap, Rachel. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Hailey's five, which would mean that you had her at eighteen. Around this time, I remember we were graduating from high school and we had sex."

Rachel tried to stay calm as she turned to Sam. "Hey, could you watch Hailey for a minute? I have to talk to Noah about something." Sam nodded and Rachel pulled Puck outside. She stood in front of him and looked at him. "Okay, how'd you figure it out?"

"Well in addition to what I just said, it's also the matter of Hailey's eyes and the fact that she's just like me when I was a kid. Why the fuck didn't you tell me? I have a right to know that I have a kid."

"You walked out, you didn't have a right to anything. That was the day where I began my life on my own."

"Oh but you allowed Quinn, Finn and Sam to know about her. Do they even know that I'm the father?"

Rachel looked down. "Quinn does. She found out when I told her I was pregnant. Finn and Sam don't know so don't be upset with them. They just think it was some guy from another party I went to."

Puck became confused. "How the fuck did you convince them to believe that? We all know that you didn't have a lot friends in high school."

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know but I'm grateful they believed it. But listen to me, you cannot tell Hailey."

"And why not?"

"I don't want to confuse her. I just think it's better if she doesn't know."

"That's bullshit and you know it. You don't want to tell her because you're still mad at me for leaving you. You're punishing me."

"Call it what you want but I have custody of Hailey and as far as she knows, her father left. And it's going to stay that way."

Rachel walked back inside of the dance studio while Puck tried to control his anger and figure out how he was going to get closer to Hailey. Now that he knows she's his kid, he's not going to let Rachel take her away. Not again.

**And there we have it. Puck finally knows the secret and don't worry, Finn and Sam will find out too. I know Rachel is being difficult right now but we'll see where she's coming from next chapter. Reviews make me happy so please review. Bye for now :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I'm glad you all are enjoying the story. In this chapter, we'll see Sam and Finn find out that Hailey is Puck's and we'll also see why Rachel is so bent on keeping her away from him. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

A few hours later, Puck stormed into the apartment where Finn and Sam were playing video games. They looked at him as he slammed the door behind him.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen you this pissed since you found out that cougar's husband made her fire you," Sam smirked. "And where have you been? Rachel came back inside the studio and said you decided to go home but when I got here, you were gone."

"I had to clear my head so I walked around for a while. I had to keep myself from wanting to kick someone's ass."

"What happened?" Finn asked. "Did you have a fight with Rachel?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to figure out why she won't let me near my fucking kid," he growled, not realizing he told the guys the secret. Finn and Sam's jaws dropped.

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about?" Finn asked.

Puck cursed to himself. This wasn't the way he wanted to tell them his recent discovery but now he had no choice. "Hailey. She's my daughter."

Sam shook his head, confused. "When did you and Rachel even have sex?"

"At the graduation party the glee club threw. We got drunk, had sex and I left the next morning before she woke up."

Finn looked at him, angrily. "How could you do that to Rachel? You knew she was a virgin and you just left her like that."

"I know, it was stupid and wrong of me to do it but I didn't know that she ended up pregnant. She should've told me and maybe we wouldn't be in this mess."

"You walked out on her dude." Sam pointed out. "You left her after she gave you something important. Are you honestly surprised that she didn't tell you?"

Puck groaned in frustration. "No, I guess not. This whole thing is fucked up. I have a kid who I'm not allowed to even be around because of me being an ass. And the worst part is that I can't even tell Hailey that her father is right here in front of her."

Finn and Sam looked at their friend with sympathy. They've never seen him so upset about something and it was clear that he really did care about Hailey, even if he just met her and found out about her.

"How'd you find out Hailey was yours?" Finn asked. Puck smiled to himself, thinking of the moment he realized that little girl was his daughter.

"Other than putting the math together about when she could've been born, her eyes. They're hazel, just like mine."

"I wonder why we never noticed that," Sam mumbled. "But we're really sorry, bro. We should've never believed Rachel's story."

"Don't worry about it. You guys are dumb as shit for not questioning her about it more but I know if you knew she was mine, you would've told me so we're cool."

"Wait, did Quinn know?" Finn asked.

Puck sighed, knowing this was about to upset him. "Yeah. Rachel told her when she found out she was pregnant."

Finn sat there for a second, unable to say anything. Quinn has been lying to him for years about something that involved his best friend. She used his gullibility to her advantage and got him to believe everything she was saying. He couldn't believe this. After he couldn't take thinking about it anymore, Finn got up, got his jacket and stormed out of the apartment.

Sam looked at Puck. "Think we should talk him out of going over there?"

Puck shook his head. "No. He has a right to be pissed. Quinn's no better than Rachel. I never thought that she would lie about something like this."

"What did she say when you told her you knew?"

"She just said that as far Hailey knows, her father left her and it's going to stay that way. How could she do this to me?"

"Maybe she has a good reason for it. You know Rachel wouldn't do something like this without thinking it through first."

"Maybe. But whatever her reason is, it made me miss out on five years of my kid's life. I don't know if I can ever forgive her for that."

Sam was surprised at how serious Puck was being right now. He had never seen him so upset. But Puck didn't care if he was freaking Sam out. Rachel pissed him off and got other people involved in her lies. One way or another, he was going to tell Hailey that she was his daughter. He just had to figure out how he was going to be able to get to her.

XXXXXXXX

When Finn got to Quinn's place, he was still fuming. How could she lie to him like that all these years? Did she not think he had a right to know? Whatever her reason was, he doubted that it would make up for all the lies. And Rachel. She was supposed to be one of the most honest people he's ever met. That was all an act and he wouldn't blame Puck if he decided to never speak to her again.

Finn got out of the car and went to open Quinn's door with his key. When he walked inside, he found Quinn cooking herself dinner. She turned to him and smiled. "Hey."

Finn gave a small wave. "Hey."

She walked over to him and kissed him. "I wasn't expecting you. Come to have dinner with me?"

Finn didn't hesitate to get straight to the point. "How could you not tell me about Hailey?"

Quinn looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"How could you not tell me that my best friend is Hailey's father?" he asked, getting angrier with every word. Quinn's face paled.

"How'd you find out?"

"Puck figured it out and he came back to the apartment, pissed off, and told us. A better question would be why did I have to find out from him instead of you? How could you and Rachel keep this from me and Sam?"

Quinn tried to place a soothing hand on his arm but Finn backed away, as if her touch burned him. She sighed. "Please, try to understand. I've told Rachel plenty of times that she needed to tell Puck but she just wouldn't listen to me."

"And what about me? You didn't think I had a right to know? We're supposed to be partners, partners don't constantly lie to each other. You gave me some bullshit reason as to why you hate Puck so much when the reality is, you're just as bad."

Quinn felt tears build up in her eyes, not believing what Finn was saying to her right now. She knew that she was wrong for lying to him all these years but she never imagined that he would get this upset with her. "Finn you know I was just protecting Rachel and Hailey. She begged me not to tell anyone because she knew that you guys would tell Puck."

"And what's wrong with that? At least Hailey would have a father."

"You know how Puck is. Do you honestly think he would've stepped up to be a dad? At eighteen?"

Finn thought about it. Would Puck have stepped up if he had been told about Hailey? Sure he had his screw-ups but he always came through in the end. He looked at Quinn. "Absolutely."

"Finn please. How can I make this up to you?"

"I don't know if you can." As he turned to walk away, he stopped and turned around, thinking of something. "Actually, maybe you can."

"How?"

"Get Rachel to let Puck see Hailey. She's his kid too and it isn't fair that she's keeping her from him."

Quinn sighed. "I've tried but she won't listen to me. She just shuts me out and tells me that this is the best thing for Hailey."

"Well if Rachel has a conscience at all, just tell her that your relationship is suffering from all the lies you've been telling for her." Finn walked away, leaving Quinn to think about this. Maybe she shouldn't have kept up Rachel's lies. Now her relationship is in jeopardy and it relies on whether or not Rachel will stop being stubborn and listen to her.

XXXXXXXX

Rachel sat in Hailey's room, having a tea party with her. She tried to forget about Puck but she just couldn't shake the feeling of worry that she had. Now that he knows about Hailey, there's no doubt that he would tell Sam and Finn. The most important part was making sure that Hailey didn't find out.

She didn't want it to be like this. Ever since Hailey realized it wasn't normal to just have a mother, she's been wondering about her father. She constantly asks Rachel to tell her something about her father and there have been times where she would come from school, crying because she didn't have a father like all the other kids. As much as this hurt Rachel, she just couldn't tell Puck. It hurt to think that Puck would just take her virginity and not care about staying in contact with her.

When she found out that she was pregnant, Rachel would pick up the phone with the intention to call but she just couldn't do it. She wouldn't be able to handle it if Puck rejected her. Or worse, if he rejected Hailey. She didn't want to put Hailey at risk for that so it was just better if Puck just didn't know. But there wasn't a day that went by that Rachel didn't think about what it would be like if Puck knew. Maybe romance could've happened between them and they could've parented Hailey together. But whatever she imagined before, Rachel was sure that Puck wouldn't want anything to do with her now. Not after she kept such a huge secret from him all this time.

While she was pretending to drink tea, there was a knock on the door. She turned to Hailey, who was pretending to pour more tea. "Hang on angel. I'll be right back."

Hailey nodded as Rachel got up and left the room. When she opened the door, Quinn stood there, looking very upset. Rachel frowned. "Quinn what's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Quinn walked inside and turned back to Rachel. "Finn knows about Puck being Hailey's father. And he is so upset with me."

"Why? You didn't do anything."

"I lied to him. I constantly told him lies about why we hate Puck and who Hailey's father is. I don't know if he'll ever forgive me for it."

Rachel led her to the couch and sat down next to her. "Finn loves you. I'm sure he'll forgive you for everything."

"He said there was a way."

"That's great, what is it?"

Quinn sighed, knowing Rachel wouldn't like this. "You have to let Puck see Hailey."

Rachel immediately shook her head. "No. Absolutely not."

"Rachel please. Finn might leave me if you don't do this. And I don't deserve it. All these years, I've kept Hailey's paternity a secret to protect you two. But now I'm seeing that Puck might really want to be a part of Hailey's life. You can't do this to me or her."

"Quinn, I'm sorry I got you involved in any of this. I should've never told you who the father was."

"It's okay, just please don't let us suffer from it. You know Hailey wants a father, you can't keep her from him. And you can't let my relationship fall apart all because I wanted to help you."

Rachel sighed. She didn't expect any of this to happen when Puck found out. The last thing she wanted was for Quinn's relationship to deteriorate because of her and her lies. But did she have enough strength to let Puck into their lives? Did she have enough strength to let him in when he was the one who held her heart at one point and could possibly still have the same effect? No matter what the decision was, Rachel knew she wouldn't like the outcome.

**I know, I'm evil for leaving it there. But what will Rachel choose? Will she swallow her pride and let Puck have a relationship with Hailey? Or will she choose to keep Hailey from him and let everyone around her suffer? Find out in the next chapter. Don't forget to review! Bye for now :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! I just want to thank you for all of the reviews. They really help in the thinking process while I'm writing. In this chapter we'll find out Rachel's decision and the results of it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

"Mommy, where are we going?" Hailey asked as Rachel got her coat for her.

"We are going to meet up with Puck and hang out with him today," Rachel answered, hating every word of it. She really didn't want to do this but she knew that it wasn't fair to have her selfishness ruin the lives of her friends. Quinn needed her to do this and in the end, she knew that Hailey needed this too, even if she didn't know that Puck was her father. When they were ready, they left their apartment and went to meet with Puck for lunch.

Meanwhile Puck was already at a burger place, waiting for them. When he found out that Rachel was going to let him hang out with Hailey, he was ecstatic. Finn told him about the ultimatum he had given Quinn and honestly, Puck was grateful that his friend cared so much to do that. Even though he knows that Finn would never break up with Quinn because he loves her too much, he had to admit that Quinn deserved it. She should've never kept Rachel's secret for so long. He understood that she was just trying to be a good friend to Rachel but she should've known that it was in Hailey's best interest for him to know.

He had been so distracted with his thoughts that he didn't realize Rachel and Hailey were walking up to him. When he noticed them, he met them halfway.

"Hi Puck," Hailey smiled. Seeing her smile made him think of Rachel's smile.

"Hey kid. Are you ready to eat some good food? I ordered you and me a cheeseburger and fries and got your mom a salad. Think you'll like that?" he asked. She nodded excitedly and he looked at Rachel, who didn't look happy to be there.

"Come on, Rach. You can at least smile."

Rachel frowned at him as she and Hailey sat with him at the table. "How can I smile when I was practically forced into this? What Finn did to Quinn was awful. She didn't deserve it."

Puck looked at Hailey, who was looking at them curiously. "Hey Hail, while we're waiting for our food do you want to go play the games over there?"

"Yes," she smiled. Puck gave her some money and she ran over to the games, leaving Puck and Rachel alone. He turned to her.

"Honestly, I don't give a fuck what Quinn deserved." He glared at her. Rachel was taken back from how angry he was all of a sudden. "You shouldn't have lied and kept Hailey from me all this time. You let me miss five years of her life. Do you not realize that? I missed her birth, I missed her first words, watching her take her first steps. I missed all of that. And you're not even sorry."

"I can't be sorry. You made it clear that you wanted no part in this after you left me that day. And besides, you're not exactly the most reliable person. You've spent the past few years in Lima, cleaning pools and having sex with married women. How is that good for a child?"

"Regardless you still should've told me. I could've helped so you wouldn't have to go through all of this alone. My dad may be a deadbeat but that's not how I am. I would've stepped up and took care of both you and Hailey."

Before Rachel could respond, their food was ready. He went over to get it while Rachel called Hailey back to the table. When they all sat down together and started eating, Rachel thought about what Puck said. Would he have really stepped up and took care of her and Hailey? At the time, Rachel thought she was doing the right thing but now she's not so sure. She was just trying to do what was best for Hailey and she just didn't want to end up heartbroken again. If he had ended up hurting Hailey just as much as he hurt her, Rachel would feel so ashamed of herself for even putting her daughter through that. Now that Puck knows about Hailey, she just has to figure out how to tell Hailey about her father, if she would even tell her at all.

XXXXXXXXX

While the three walked through Central park, Hailey saw something and pulled Rachel's hand. Rachel looked at her.

"What is it angel?" she asked.

Hailey pointed to a carousel. "Can I get on? Please please please?"

"Okay, let's go." Rachel led her over to the carousel and paid for her to get on. When she got on one of the horses, Hailey looked at Rachel and Puck and waved to them. They waved back as the ride began.

"So explain something to me," Puck said, never taking his eyes off Hailey. "How did she end up eating meat when you're a vegetarian?"

Rachel smiled to herself, thinking of the memory. "I tried introducing her to the whole vegetarian lifestyle but it wasn't working so I decided to just let her eat whatever she wanted as long as it's healthy. If down the road she chooses to become vegetarian that's fine with me but I at least want her to feel like she has a choice. She's a very smart little girl."

"I can see that. Is she in school?"

"Yes, she's in kindergarten at a private school."

"Just couldn't let her do public school, huh?" Puck smirked.

Rachel's cheeks reddened. "No. She deserves the best and that private school is perfect for her."

When the carousel came around again, Hailey waved to Puck and Rachel again. Puck smiled at her, still loving the fact that she was his kid. More than anything he wanted to have a relationship with her. He wanted her to know that her father didn't just dump her mother and not care enough about her to stay around. Everything would be a lot easier if he could just come out and tell her that he was her father.

He looked at Rachel. "So when are we telling her?"

Rachel looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Hailey. When are we telling her that I'm her father?"

"I wasn't planning on telling her anytime soon."

Puck frowned at her. "Why not? You don't think she has a right to know?"

"Noah, she's five. It's not the easiest thing for a five-year-old to grasp. It will just confuse her and cause her to have questions I'm sure you're not ready to answer."

"That's bullshit and you know it. You just don't want to admit that she came from me and you know that once she finds out, she's going to want a relationship with me. How could you deny her a relationship with her father?"

Rachel shook her head in frustration. "Okay, let's get one thing straight. You may have helped create her but you are not her father. You weren't there when she was born and refused to go to sleep at night. You weren't there to help with her first fever, when I rushed her to the hospital because I was afraid that something was really wrong with her. You weren't there for any of that so you can't call yourself her father."

"And whose fault is that Rachel? I would've been there for all of that if you would have told me about her. You made the choice to go through all of this on your own. You chose to be alone in raising her. This blame thing of yours doesn't work if you're the reason that I wasn't there."

"Maybe if you hadn't decided to walk out of that room that morning, I would've had a reason to tell you," Rachel muttered, bitterly. Puck heard her but before he could respond, Hailey ran over to them.

"That was fun," she smiled. But when she noticed the look on her mother's face, she knew something was going on. "What's wrong, Mommy? You have your angry face."

Rachel quickly put on a fake smile on her face. "Nothing, love. We're going to go home now."

Puck glared at her. "What? I thought we were supposed to be spending the whole day together?"

"Well Hailey has school tomorrow so we have to go now." Rachel took Hailey's hand and tried walking away but Puck stopped her.

"You're not going to keep her away from me," he whispered to her so Hailey couldn't hear. "I promise you I will find a way to be a part of her life."

Rachel frowned at his threat but tried to look like it didn't bother her. "We'll see about that."

Puck shook his head and bent down to Hailey's level. "I had fun with you today, Hail. Did you have fun?"

Hailey smiled and nodded. "I had a lot of fun."

"Good. I'll see you later, okay? And make sure you pay attention in school so you can get smarter than your Uncle Sam," he smirked. Hailey laughed at his joke and gave Puck a hug. Rachel tried to ignore the guilty feeling in her stomach while Puck, surprised by the gesture, hugged the little girl back. When they pulled away, Rachel took Hailey's hand and led her away. Puck watched them walk off, making a promise to himself that Hailey will know about him if it's the last thing he does.

XXXXXXXXX

When Puck walked through the door, Finn and Sam immediately bombarded him with questions.

"What happened?" Finn asked.

"What'd you do?" Sam asked.

"How was Hailey when she was around you?" Finn asked.

"Did Rachel seem upset with you?" Sam asked.

"Guys seriously?" Puck asked. Finn and Sam quieted. "Everything was fine. We had lunch, walked around Central Park, Hailey got on a carousel while Rachel and I talked. Nothing big."

"So do you think Hailey likes you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, the kid gave me a hug before they left. She's a really great kid."

Finn shrugged. "Well a mixture of you and Rachel would be a pretty good kid."

"I guess so. Have you talked to Quinn yet?"

"Yeah, I'm actually about to go there now. So I will see you guys later," Finn gave a small wave before walking out the door. Sam turned to Puck.

"So what about you and Rachel? You guys managed to be civil?"

"Yeah until the last part when she told me that I wasn't a father because I wasn't there for all the big moments. But I set her straight and made her realize that it was her fault that I wasn't there for all of that. At this point, I just want a relationship with Hailey. I want her to know about me but Rachel refuses to tell her."

Sam shrugged. "Dude, you got to remember she's had Hailey all to herself for five years. It's difficult for her to think about sharing."

"Well she needs to get over it. I'm going to figure out how to be Hailey's father whether she likes it or not." Puck went to his room to think about everything that happened while Sam stood in the living room, worried about his friends.

XXXXXXXXX

The next day, Rachel sighed to herself as she left Hailey's room after putting her in her bed for a nap. Today wasn't a good day for her. When Rachel went to pick her up from school, Hailey was in tears because her class was having a father-daughter party and she wouldn't be able to participate in it. Rachel tried to convince her that not every family has a mom and dad but Hailey wasn't accepting it. She just cried until her crying put her to sleep. Times like this, Rachel felt bad for not telling Puck about her but everything would be fine once Hailey calmed down.

While she was in the living room thinking to herself, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to see Quinn standing there. "Hey how's everything going?"

"Pretty good," Quinn said, walking in. "Finn said he'll forgive me so we're going to be okay. How was everything with Puck and Hailey?"

"It was fine but he's determined to figure out how to tell Hailey that he's her father. Honestly, I'm worried. What if he tells her but ends up not even being there for her? Then she'll be left disappointed. I don't want her to go through that."

"You never know, maybe he won't disappoint her. He seems pretty serious about stepping up and becoming her dad. Maybe you should just give him a chance."

Rachel thought about it and smiled. "It _was_ really sweet to see them bonding and watching her hug him after their day together. I've never seen her have so much fun with someone. Not even Finn or Sam."

"That's how you know that you should tell her. She might actually be happy to know that Puck is her father."

"What?" they heard a small voice say. They turned around and saw Hailey standing there with her bear in her arm and her jaw dropped. "Puck's my daddy?"

Rachel sighed, knowing the secret is really out. "Yes angel. Noah is your dad."

"And you didn't tell me?" she asked as her lip began to quiver. Rachel noticed this and went over to her.

"Mommy was just trying to protect you honey."

"You said we're pals. You said we always tell each other everything. But you didn't tell me who my daddy was."

"Honey, you are too young to understand." Rachel took her hands to try to calm her down.

"You're a liar. You just lie to me all the time. I hate you!" Hailey ran to her room and locked the door behind her. Rachel felt tears in her eyes and felt like her heart was ripped out of her chest. She knew that Hailey was only five so she shouldn't take it personally but it still hurt. She loved her child more than anything and now that little girl was so upset with her. It seemed like everything was falling apart. Just from her doing what she thought was in the best interest of her child.

**So there you have it. Hailey finally knows the truth. I know she may sound a bit mature but keep in mind, Hailey is a very smart child, especially from growing up around adults so just remember that. But what will happen next? Rachel's decision is obviously having a negative effect on everyone but what will Hailey do now that she knows the truth? Find out in the next chapter. Bye for now :)**


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